Atlanta Police Department Policy Manual Standard Operating Procedure Effective Date March 15, 2013 Applicable To: All sworn employees Approval Authority: Chief George N. Turner Signature: Signed by GNT Date Signed: 3/11/13 Table of Content 1. PURPOSE 1 2. POLICY 1 3. RESPONSIBILITIES 1 4. ACTION 2 4.1 Warrant Packages 2 4.2 Investigations and Case Management 2 4.3 Fugitive Extraditions and Pick Ups 3 4.4 Fugitive Unit Class III Weapons 4 4.5 SERFTF 5 4.6 AMMO Task Force 7 5. DEFINITIONS 8 6. CANCELLATIONS 8 7. REFERENCES 8 1. PURPOSE 2. POLICY The intent of this directive is to establish procedures and guidelines for locating and arresting fugitives wanted by the Atlanta Police Department (APD), by other jurisdictions within the City of Atlanta, or the apprehending of wanted subjects in conjunction with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation s (FBI) Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offender (AMMO) Task Force. The Atlanta Police Department shall investigate arrest warrant fugitive packages and apprehend those fugitives promptly and safely. The Fugitive Unit shall assist other agencies in executing their warrants within the City of Atlanta. The Fugitive Unit shall travel to, take custody, and transport back to Atlanta any person wanted for a felony by the Department within the State of Georgia; as well as, travel outside the state in cases involving extradition of suspects wanted for felonies. 3. RESPONSIBILITIES 3.1 Division commanders shall ensure that all employees under his/her command adhere to and comply with this policy. 3.2 The Major Crimes Section (MCS) Commander shall ensure that vital information is communicated with other section commanders. 3.3 The Fugitive Unit Commander develops and coordinates investigative strategies in conjunction with the watch supervisor and conducts random audits of the Fugitive Unit database. The Unit Commander shall coordinate and oversee the Atlanta Police Department participation in the operation of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFT) and the Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offenders Task Force (AMMO). Form APD-700, revised 7/9/10
3.4 The Fugitive Unit supervisors shall inspect investigative case files for completeness and accuracy. They shall ensure that arrest citations (Form APD 600) and ICIS reports are forwarded to the appropriate investigators. The Fugitive Units supervisors shall ensure that the Homicide Unit and the Special Victims Unit are forwarded copies of the original reports and arrest citations. The unit supervisors shall maintain the unit database on a daily basis. 3.5 Investigators are responsible for properly conducting and completing investigations assigned to them. Investigators shall plan, conduct, and report on investigations. Investigators shall also appear and testify in all required court hearings, as well as assist in the prosecution of cases assigned to them. Investigators are also required to attend a minimum of one (1) roll call per month at their assigned zone and forward a copy of the Watch Commander s Roll Call Checklist (Form APD 641) to their immediate supervisor. 4. ACTION 4.1 Warrant Packages 4.1.1 Warrant packages shall contain the following items: 1. Copy of completed and signed arrest warrants; 2. Signed Wanted Notice (Form APD-608); 3. An Arrest Citation (Form APD 600) completed with the suspect s biographical information, warrant number and the investigator s unique ID, radio number and a contact number; 4. Suspect s driver s license information; 5. Suspect s criminal history; 6. Incident report and any supplements; 7. Photograph of suspect (current if possible); 8. Entered in Pending File at complaint room; and 9. Initiating investigator s name, assignment and appropriate phone numbers. 4.2 Investigations and Case Management 4.2.1 Warrant Investigations 1. The Fugitive Unit shall primarily investigate and serve all arrest warrants involving violent Part 1 Crimes such as homicide, aggravated assaults, robbery, sex crimes, and crimes against children. 2. The Fugitive Unit shall assist other units in investigating warrants for other felonies such as burglary, auto theft, fraud and thefts; when: a. The Field Operations Division (FOD) investigative units have attempted to serve arrest warrants for these generally non-violent crimes at least twice. If forwarded to the Page 2 of 8
4.2.2 Case Management Fugitive Unit, the addresses where the warrant executions were attempted must be noted within the warrant package. b. If the suspect listed on the warrant resides outside of the City of Atlanta, the warrant package shall be forwarded to the Fugitive Unit. Any potential addresses of the suspect outside the City of Atlanta need to be noted within the warrant package. c. If the suspect listed on the warrant lives within the City of Atlanta, but out of the zone where the crime occurred. The investigator initiating the warrant is encouraged to coordinate an effort to serve the arrest warrant with zone where the suspect lives. 1. Fugitive Unit investigators shall check the status of wanted persons a minimum of three (3) times per week. 2. Upon apprehending wanted subjects whose warrants originate from the Atlanta Police Department, Fugitive Unit investigators shall immediately notify ACIC via radio or phone to verify the warrant and to have the warrant taken off of the system. 3. Fugitive Unit investigators shall arrange for the suspects to be transported to the Fulton County Jail for holding. An Arrest Citation (Form APD 600) shall be turned in to the jail at the same time. 4. The Fugitive Unit supervisor shall ensure that whenever an APD warrant is served, the appropriate APD investigator or supervisor is notified at the time of arrest for the purpose of a debriefing. If the appropriate APD investigator or supervisor is unavailable, the Fugitive Unit Commander shall be notified. 5. The Fugitive Unit investigator shall ensure the initiating investigator has completed the complaint room process and properly document the case file folder. 6. The initiating APD investigator shall prepare all ICIS incident and supplemental reports. 4.3 Fugitive Extraditions and Pick Ups 4.3.1 Extraditions (out of the State): 1. Once the Fugitive Unit is notified that the suspect is indicted, the Unit Commander shall contact the Dekalb, Fulton, or Clayton County Sheriff Departments extradition units and transfer responsibility for retrieving and transporting the suspect to the proper detention facility. 2. If the wanted suspect is captured outside of the State of Georgia prior to indictment, an indictment shall be obtained as quickly as possible and the appropriate sheriff s department shall arrange extradition. 3. If the wanted suspect is captured outside of the State of Georgia prior to indictment and an indictment cannot be obtained in a timely manner, the Fugitive Unit shall arrange extradition. This arrangement may include the use of air travel, department vehicles, and any other method deemed appropriate, and must include approval by the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Commander. Page 3 of 8
4.3.2 Pick Ups: The Fugitive Unit shall retrieve and transport persons that have active arrest warrants and are in custody within the state to the appropriate detention facility (Dekalb, Futon, or Clayton County.) 4.3.3 Travel outside the ten-county Atlanta metropolitan area: The Fugitive Unit shall utilize department vehicles when traveling outside the ten-county Atlanta metropolitan area for the following reasons: 1. To pick up wanted fugitives; 2. To obtain warrants for searches and electronic surveillance; 3. To assist other cooperative agencies in serving warrants; 4. To conduct surveillance on persons and locations; 5. To conduct investigations; 6. The travel is limited to locations within the State of Georgia; 7. The travel is for official City of Atlanta business; and 8. A Fugitive Unit supervisor must be notified and approve of the request in advance by signing Form APD 224 Fugitive Unit Vehicle Log Sheet. 4.4 Fugitive Unit Class III Weapons 4.4.1 Authorization of the use of Class III weapons by personnel of the Fugitive Unit shall be strictly the decision of the Chief of Police. 4.4.2 The Fugitive Unit personnel shall be authorized to use two types of Class III firearms in their operations regarding high risk felony fugitive apprehension. 1. Colt M4 Carbine (full auto) 2. Heckler & Koch UMP Submachine gun 4.4.3 Prior to being assigned an approved Class III weapon, Fugitive Unit personnel shall be required to complete successfully the following courses: 1. Atlanta Police Academy s Patrol Rifle Course; and 2. State Certified Sub-machine gun Course. 4.4.4 All Fugitive Unit personnel assigned Class III weapons shall train as a unit on a bi-monthly basis. This training shall be outside any training conducted with the APD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, the United States Marshals Service (USMS), or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The training coordinator for these exercises shall be the Fugitive Unit Commander. 4.4.5 Fugitive Unit supervisors shall conduct a weapons check of all assigned Class III weapons issued to Fugitive Unit personnel at a minimum of once a month. Page 4 of 8
4.5 Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF) 4.5.1 The Chief of Police shall be responsible for entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and may terminate such agreement at any time with a 30 day advanced written notice. 4.5.2 The Major Crimes Section (MCS) Commander or his/her designee, shall be responsible for the annual audit of SERFTF results and continued necessity. 4.5.3 The USMS SERFTF Chief shall have full direction and coordination responsibilities for the task force and all personnel assigned to the SERFTF. 4.5.4 The APD supervisor assigned to the SERFTF shall be responsible for supervising, managing and recording all APD SERFTF members time as well as handling all administrative matters. 4.5.5 The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall be responsible for maintaining a record of all APD warrants assigned to the SERFTF, completing monthly performance reports on all of the APD employees assigned to the SERFTF and attending appropriate APD meetings as determined by the MCS commander and the Fugitive Unit Commander. 4.5.6 The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall ensure that whenever an APD warrant is served, ACIC and the APD investigator or supervisor of the unit which obtained the warrant, are notified at the time of arrest. 4.5.7 All APD officers and investigators assigned to the SERFTF shall be deputized as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals. The officer shall apprehend wanted persons and notify ACIC and the appropriate APD investigator when suspects are apprehended. All APD SERFTF members are responsible for complying with all APD rules, regulations and training including use of force and firearms usage reports. 4.5.8 All internal administrative matters shall remain the responsibility of the participating agency. The APD SERFTF supervisor shall ensure all the appropriate administrative documentation is accurately completed in a timely manner for APD SERFTF members. 1. The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall ensure all APD SERFTF employees are properly notified, inspected and informed of APD issues, guidelines, directives and other important matters. 2. The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall provide current copies of all applicable firearms and deadly force rules to the SERFTF Chief. 4.5.9 The Fugitive Unit Commander shall ensure that new warrants assigned to the SERFTF are picked up or delivered to the SERFTF within 12 hours of their assignment. Homicide warrants shall be picked up or delivered immediately. 4.5.10 The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall meet weekly with the APD Fugitive Unit Commander to keep him/her current on the status of open warrants. 1. The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall maintain a record of all APD warrants assigned to the SERFTF and the status of each. Page 5 of 8
2. The APD SERFTF Supervisor and APD Fugitive Unit Commander shall act as a liaison between task force members and any APD employees to address questions, problems or the sharing of information. 4.5.11 All equipment owned by the USMS and issued to participating agency personnel shall remain the property of the USMS. 4.5.12 All equipment owned by APD shall remain the property of the department. 4.5.13 The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall ensure that all assigned APD equipment and vehicles are properly inspected and maintained. 4.5.14 All issued APD departmental vehicles and equipment are the responsibility of the assigned APD SERFTF member. 1. The department shall provide one vehicle for each assigned APD SERFTF member. 2. Non-APD SERFTF members may not operate APD vehicles. 3. All APD vehicles assigned to APD SERFTF members shall have approved current overnight authorization requests on file with the Atlanta Police Department. 4.5.15 The Atlanta Police Department shall refer selected fugitive warrants to the SERFTF. The Atlanta Police Department shall remain responsible for those referred cases that are investigated by the SERFTF. 4.5.16 Requests for technical assistance 1. If technical assistance (e.g. monitoring phone calls, etc.) is requested by APD from SERFTF, a lead investigator from SERFTF shall be assigned by SERFTF and they shall take control of the case file until the requested investigative measures are completed. 2. All information shall be turned over to the SERFTF and all communication regarding the case file shall be forwarded through the SERFTF investigator and the Fugitive Unit Commander. 3. Following the completion of the requested assistance, and if the warrant has not yet been executed, the SERFTF investigator shall return the file to the investigator who requested the assistance. 4.5.17 USMS shall enter the referred cases into the Warrant Information Network (WIN) and assign them to the appropriate task force officers. Officers shall be assigned federal, state and local fugitive cases for investigation. 4.5.18 APD SERFTF officers and investigators that are required to travel on official task force business shall be reimbursed directly by the USMS for expenses in accordance with applicable federal laws, rules, regulations, and the existing MOU with the USMS. 4.5.19 Within 24 hours of receipt by the SERFTF, the Atlanta Police SERTF supervisor shall ensure that the appropriate investigator has been advised that their warrant package has been assigned to SERFTF. Page 6 of 8
4.5.20 Upon execution of warrants originating from the Atlanta Police Department, SERFTF investigators shall immediately notify ACIC to have the warrants verified and removed from the system. 4.5.21 SERFTF investigators shall arrange for the suspects to be transported to the appropriate (Dekalb, Fulton, or Clayton) County Jail for holding. The arrest citation (Form APD 600) shall be turned in to the jail at the same time. 4.5.22 The APD SERFTF Supervisor shall ensure that whenever a department warrant is served, the appropriate investigator or supervisor is notified at the time of arrest for the purpose of a debriefing to be conducted by an APD investigator. If the appropriate investigator or supervisor is unavailable, the Fugitive Unit Commander shall be notified. 4.5.23 The APD SERFTF investigator shall complete a USMS arrest report (USM-11) and forward the report to the originating Investigator. The SERFTF investigator shall remind the originating investigator to complete the APD ICIS arrest report and/or supplemental report and have the Fulton County Complaint Room move the suspect s file forward from the pending file to active. 4.5.24 The originating APD investigator shall prepare all incident and supplemental reports. 4.5.25 The MCS Commander, his/her designee, shall conduct an annual evaluation of the task force results and its continued necessity. The evaluation shall be forwarded to the CID Commander and to the Planning, Research and Accreditation Unit (PRAU). A copy of the evaluation shall be kept on file for a period of three years. 4.6 Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offender (AMMO) Task Force 4.6.1 The purpose of the AMMO Task Force is to achieve maximum coordination and cooperation between the APD Fugitive Unit and the FBI by combining resources to conduct fugitive investigations. 4.6.2 AMMO Task Force involvement and direction shall be the joint responsibility of the Atlanta Police Department Chief of Police and the Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Atlanta Division, FBI. 4.6.3 The Atlanta Police Department s Fugitive Unit shall provide full-time assigned personnel to the AMMO Task Force. This shall include one sergeant and seven investigators. 4.6.4 The operational and administrative supervision of the investigative activities shall be shared between the Atlanta Police Department supervisor assigned to the AMMO Task Force and the FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA). 4.6.5 APD personnel assigned to the AMMO Task Force shall be sworn as deputized Special Federal Officers, with the FBI securing the required authorization. These deputizations shall remain in effect throughout the tenure of each APD personnel assigned to the AMMO Task Force. Prior to being assigned to the AMMO Task Force, APD personnel shall be subject to a limited background inquiry. 4.6.6 The investigative methods employed by AMMO Task Force personnel shall be consistent with the policies and procedures of the FBI and the United States Attorney General Guidelines. Page 7 of 8
5. DEFINITIONS 5.1 Initiating Investigator/Officer: The investigator who documented the crime, identified the suspect, completed the complaint room process, and submitted the warrant package to the Fugitive Unit. 5.2 Ten-County Atlanta Metropolitan Area: Is comprised of the ten counties belonging to the Atlanta Regional Commission and include: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties. 6. CANCELLATIONS, effective January 15, 2009 APD.SOP.5191 Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF), effective July 1, 2007 7. REFERENCES APD.SOP.5010 Criminal Investigations Division Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offender (AMMO) Task Force Memorandum of Understanding Form APD 608 Wanted Notice Form Form APD 224 Taking a Vehicle Outside the City Form APD 641 Watch Commander s Roll Call Checklist Page 8 of 8